New York – Donald Trump’s Companies Have Sought Visas To Import At Least 1,100 Workers

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    US Presidential Candidate Donald Trump as he views his Scottish golf course at Turnberry Action Images via Reuters / Russell CheyneNew York – Donald Trump is staking his run for U.S. president in part on a vow to protect American jobs. But this month, one of his companies, the elite Mar-a-Lago Club resort in Florida, applied to import 70 foreign workers to serve as cooks, wait staff and cleaners.

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    A Reuters analysis of U.S. government data reveals that this is business as usual in the New York property magnate’s empire.

    Trump owns companies that have sought to import at least 1,100 foreign workers on temporary visas since 2000, according to U.S. Department of Labor data reviewed by Reuters. Most of the applications were approved, the data show.

    Nine companies majority-owned by Trump have sought to bring in foreign waitresses, cooks, vineyard workers and other laborers on temporary work-visa programs administered by the Labor Department.

    The candidate’s foreign talent hunt included applications for an assistant golf-course superintendent, an assistant hotel manager and a banquet manager.

    Two of his companies, Trump Model Management and Trump Management Group LLC, have sought visas for nearly 250 foreign fashion models, the records show.

    Trump’s presidential campaign and a lawyer for the businessman declined to comment. The Mar-a-Lago Club could not be reached for comment.

    The analysis of Trump’s history of actively importing foreign workers comes as he has emerged as an early front-runner in the race for the Republican nomination in the November 2016 presidential election. Trump has positioned himself as a champion of American workers whose livelihoods are threatened by illegal foreign laborers and the offshoring of U.S. jobs.

    “I will be the greatest jobs president that God every created,” he said in announcing his candidacy on June 16. “I will bring back our jobs from China, Mexico and other places. I will bring back jobs and our money.”

    Trump generated both notoriety and buzz by singling out Mexican immigrants in the United States. “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best,” he said in the speech. “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.”

    In a speech on July 11, Trump distinguished between those working legally and illegally in the United States, saying thousands of “legal” Mexicans – “incredible people” – have worked for him over the years.

    The Labor Department records don’t specify the nationality of the foreign workers sought by companies. But Trump could be bringing many Mexican workers into the United States.

    Reuters examined records of applications for three categories of temporary work visas – the H-2A, H-2B and H-1B programs – submitted by employers to the Labor Department.

    A CONTROVERSIAL VISA PROGRAM

    The temporary work visa program through which Trump’s companies have sought the greatest numbers of workers, H-2B, brings in mostly workers from Mexico. Mexicans made up more than 80 percent of the 104,993 admissions to the United States on H-2B visas in 2013. The Trump companies have sought at least 850 H-2B visa workers.

    The H-2B program, which receives little government oversight, is used by companies in sectors ranging from hospitality to forestry to hire foreign workers for temporary jobs. Companies must prove that the jobs are seasonal – and that they tried and failed to hire Americans.

    U.S. government watchdogs have criticized the H-2B and H-2A programs over the years for failing to protect foreign and American workers alike.

    In 2003, the Labor Department Inspector General said: “Abuses of these programs may result in economic harm to American workers and businesses, exploitation of foreign workers, and security risks associated with aliens who are admitted to this country by fraudulent means.”

    This year, the Government Accountability Office published a report saying that workers in the country on H-2A and H-2B visas have experienced abuse, including being charged illegal recruiting fees, substandard housing and low pay.

    The Mar-a-Lago, a luxury resort in Palm Beach, Florida, has sought the most foreign workers of the nine Trump businesses: 787 workers since 2006, according to the data.

    This month, the resort filed paperwork seeking to bring in 70 foreign workers later this year on H-2B visas to serve as maids, cooks and wait staff, according to paperwork known as “job orders” published on the Labor Department’s web site.

    In addition to the resort and the modeling agencies, the Trump-owned companies identified in the Reuters analysis were Jupiter Golf Club, Lamington Farm Club LLC, Trump Miami Resorts Management LLC, Trump National Golf Club LLC, Trump Payroll Chicago LLC and Trump Vineyard Estates LLC.‎


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    9 Comments
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    1thebelzer
    1thebelzer
    8 years ago

    Its all about leadership, folks. The politicians have sold this country long ago and with each election, you get nothing but lip service. They make careers out of banking on the American public’s lack of attention to the real problems afflicting this country. Along comes a man like Trump, who believes in America, calls it the way he see it, and isnt afraid of the political juggernaut. He gets threats, hes publicly denounced from the media to the President, and even foreign countries are taking shots at him, but he doesn’t waver, like a true American. He is bold, brash and confident. Thats something the American people havent seen in a candidate in decades. If this country is going to survive into the future, we must decide on competent leadership and that starts with electing Donald Trump. He will clean house and put us on the right track to taking our country back.

    TexasJew
    TexasJew
    8 years ago

    Nothing wrong with legal immigration. It’s the “il”legal ones we’re worried about.

    8 years ago

    No contradiction at all. He still has to pay the legal minimum wage or more.

    Nycnyc
    Nycnyc
    8 years ago

    Every Frim yid must vote for trump for three reasons. One to stop Iran from getting nukes,he supports traditional marriage and he is the best candidate to commute rubs shins sentence. If a half million heimisha registered to vote it can happen.

    yellowzebra
    yellowzebra
    8 years ago

    Did any of other comments actually read the article? Your big hero trump has been applying for visas for cheaper workers that are not Americans. He comes out and blows his big shofar and what you hear is he is the only one who stands up for the citizens of the usa. The truth is he is all about money he could care less about all of the out of work Americans.

    mr613
    mr613
    8 years ago

    Wait a minute here!
    Trump is a smart business man.
    It seams from this article he did the league thing and requested visas “IE THE LEAGLE WAY “
    Did he create this broken system?
    Is he the one ordering ice not to hold illegal aliens for deportation ?
    When Americans have zero incentive to work for minimum wage because the Obama socialist has given away the bank,what’s a business man to do?
    Let’s look at it…… Does it pay for a Simone to work full time as a waiter or kitchen staff at minim wage? They will no longer be entitled to food stamps ,fully paid healthcare,rent assistance etc….. So should trump just lets his business die? He needs staff obviously if he were able to hire domestically he would!

    When it comes to growing the American economy is trust a man who know how to make buck more then a person who knows how to rob from the earners and give to the beggars!

    Insider
    Insider
    8 years ago

    The simple truth is that Donald Trump’s star keeps rising and shining brighter. The article intends to take away from Trump, however it concedes that Trump is conforming to the legal process. The jobs he seeks to fill are vacant because no Americans have applied. In addition to the consideration enumerated by no. 3’s comments, if Trump were to become the President of th United States, the White House would have afull-time glatt kosher kitchen to accommodate his married daughter, Ivanka, who is strictly modern Orthodox.